Local agencies help Fulton cool off

The Callaway Senior Center is open as a "cooling center" to allow the general public an air-conditioned place to escape the heat during the day. The senior center is one of many agencies hoping to help those in need during the 100-degree weather this summer.
Photo by Dean Asher.

Fulton residents young and old who need help beating the heat can find it, with the help of a few local agencies.

The Callaway Senior Center opens its doors so the general public can spend a few hours in a cool, air-conditioned place every weekday, while SERVE, Inc. is donating fans, and Central Missouri Community Action provides energy assistance to those in need.

The senior center has a sign on its door declaring the building a “cooling center” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Senior center administrator Amanda Young said that it is a service they provide every hot summer through the Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging, and that people are free to come in from the heat to watch TV and enjoy the facility.

“We haven’t had any this year that I know of,” said Young, “but with 100 degree temperatures I’m sure we will.”

The forecast certainly spells trouble for people in mid-Missouri struggling to make energy payments to keep their homes cool. Weather forecasts predict upper-90 highs throughout the week, with Thursday and Friday peaking around 103 degrees.